if they do this, then playing an NFC west team should count for less like playing boise or tcu in NCAA

give me a break....one NFC west team has 5 superbowls and the other 3 have been to a superbowl in the last decade, no other division can say that. teams go through rebuilding stages, this is just a transition time for all 4 teams which is unfortunate but why the hell shouldnt a troy smith or sam bradford get a chance to right the ship at the end of the year and lead a competitive team in the postseason...because gruden said so?

i dont know when gruden gained all this momentum as the hottest coaching choice on the market, he was fired a few years ago because he drove a team into the ground and ******* sucked. everything he says now pisses me off

Winning the division shouldn't count for seeding. That should be based on W/L. Winning the division should always get you into the playoffs though, regardless of how bad the NFC West is right now.

I'm in agreement here. Counting out a whole division of teams is irresponsible and ignorant (has to be a better word that could be used here but it's 330 am) to the landscape of the league, divisions and such.

It isn't that difficult to change if your team is below 500 they don't make the playoffs otherwise everything is the same if all teams in the division are below 500 that slot becomes another wild card.

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if they do this, then playing an NFC west team should count for less like playing boise or tcu in NCAA

give me a break....one NFC west team has 5 superbowls and the other 3 have been to a superbowl in the last decade, no other division can say that. teams go through rebuilding stages, this is just a transition time for all 4 teams which is unfortunate but why the hell shouldnt a troy smith or sam bradford get a chance to right the ship at the end of the year and lead a competitive team in the postseason...because gruden said so?

i dont know when gruden gained all this momentum as the hottest coaching choice on the market, he was fired a few years ago because he drove a team into the ground and ******* sucked. everything he says now pisses me off

All of this.

Gruden is a ******* moron. I hear a bunch of people on here say he is a good announcer but when i really listen to the dude my only thought is: you were a head coach in this league only a few years ago, and this is ALL the insite you have? are you serious? why did any man follow your lead onto the field?

and btw: This isnt his idea.
Bill Simmons wrote this a while back (same thing Broth posted): if the top team in a division is a sub 500 team, their spot just becomes another wildcard.

The league took a step in the right direction when they changed draft seeding to go based off of playoff record first, then regular season record.

The next step should be to take away automatic home playoff games for division winners. Not sure what the specifics should be. I don't think it should be strictly based on record. A 10-6 division winner in a tough division vs. 11-5 division runner up in a weak division is one situation where it would make sense to give the home playoff game to the team with fewer wins.

How about this: by default, division winners get a home playoff game unless they do not have a winning record. If there is no winning record (9-7 or better) the seeding goes strictly by record, but a division runner up must have at least 2 more wins than a division winner to earn a home playoff game.

Imagine if the Pats and Jets were to go 14-2 and 13-3 respectively, but the AFC South winner only has 8 wins. Should a 13-3 team really have to travel to play an 8-8 team in the playoffs?

They should rely on a combination of polls and computer selection methods to determine relative team rankings, and to narrow the field to two teams to play in the Super Bowl.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FuzzyGopher

I'm not. They could call it the Super Bowl Championship Series. It would be based on a complicated mathematical formula, so there is no way anything could go wrong.

This is the answer for sure. Then we could sit back and lol when Bill Polian sees his Colts miss the playoffs despite winning the division. He would freak out and go on a super ***, bow-tie wearing rant about the other divisions being the equivalent of the "Sisters of the Poor."

Reseeding based on records sounds good to me. Whoever finishes as the higher WC team is basically getting a bye. Normally teams don't care whether they're the 5 or 6 WC seed, but this year in the NFC they'll play down the stretch to get the 5 if need be.

Could someone please direct me to where i can remain completely unsurprised.

Well, I know it does look that way. But even if the Rams were in the Bucs situation and the Bucs were in ours or whatever it maybe, I still say the division winners should get in. I don't think they should have a home game. But I'd say the same thing if it was another division. U just have to believe me. I mean, I have no problem with say a 9-7 or 8-8 Colts or Jags team making it in over a team thats 10-6 from another division in the AFC. Its just how it is.

Divisions change over time. The NFC West was pretty decent during the earlier part of the 2000's with at least two competitive teams. This year the division is just have a really awful year. In 2004 we had two teams make the playoffs with 8-8 records. Sometimes your division is hard, other times it isn't. Complaining about that not being fair is like complaining because life isn't fair.

since 2000, the NFC West has been to 4 SB's, winning one of them. All 4 teams are rebuilding and are on the rise, with the exception of the Cardinals. 3 of them need franchise QB's. Things can turn around pretty quick in the NFL. Give the Rams a #1 WR and a couple more defensive players, and they could compete for the NFC title pretty easily. Give the 49'ers a franchise QB, and they aren't far behind. The same with Seattle.

since 2000, the NFC West has been to 4 SB's, winning one of them. All 4 teams are rebuilding and are on the rise, with the exception of the Cardinals. 3 of them need franchise QB's. Things can turn around pretty quick in the NFL. Give the Rams a #1 WR and a couple more defensive players, and they could compete for the NFC title pretty easily. Give the 49'ers a franchise QB, and they aren't far behind. The same with Seattle.

You're missing the point... everybody knows divisions rise and fall. If you think this is exclusively about the NFC West you're very short sighted.